Sushi Rice and Shaggy Dog roll

Shaggy Dog Roll

Photo credit Natasha's Kitchen

Ingredients

Sushi Rice

4 T Rice Vinegar

2 T sugar

2 tsp salt

2 cups Japanese or short grain rice

3 cups water

California Rolls or Shaggy Dog Rolls

6 half-sheets of Nori

1/2 lb imitation crab meat 

1 Avocado

1/2 medium cucumber, peeled and sliced into long matchsticks

Toasted Sesame Seeds (optional)

Panko breadcrumbs, tempura style (optional)

1 carrot, peeled and sliced into long matchsticks

Pink Mayo

1/2 cup mayonnaise

2-3 T Sriracha sauce

1-1/2 T sweetened condensed milk

Directions

Sushi Rice

1. Cook the rice in rice cooker.

2. As rice is cooking, make sushi rice by combining rice vinegar, salt, and sugar in a small sauce pan and letting them dissolve together over low heat on the stove, then let the mixture cool.

3. When the rice is done cooking, transfer the hot rice into a large bowl and break it up to get rid of all the hot clumps.

4. Let the rice cool down until it is just warm, then stir in your cooled sushi vinegar. 

Assembling Rolls

1. On a sheet of parchment paper, spread a generous handful of sushi rice onto a 1/2 sheet of nori. Use wet fingers or a spoon to spread the rice evenly over the entire surface of the nori, taking care to cover all the way to the edges of the nori.

2. Flip the rice covered piece of nori over so the rice is facing down. This way your rice will be on the outside. (The rice will stick surprisingly well to nori and it's relatively easy to flip the nori over.) Place your fillings across the center of your rice in the middle of the sheet.

3. Start rolling away from you using the parchment paper, using your fingers to hold the ingredients in place. Roll tightly enough and apply pressure to make a tight roll.

4. Once all the rolls are rolled, run your sharp knife through damp paper towel before slicing so the rice won't stick as much. Slice two rolls at a time, quickly with a sharp knife, into 1 inch wide rolls. 

5. Sprinkle with panko crumbs or toasted sesame seeds. To make a Shaggy Dog roll, top with tiny flakes of imitation crab and pink mayo.